Tegotae-Based Control Produces Adaptive Inter- and Intra-limb Coordination in Bipedal Walking

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Control Systems
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) offer a promising control paradigm for bipedal walking robots.
• A lack of systematic design methodologies hinders the practical application of CPG-based controllers.
• The Tegotae approach, a Japanese concept of sensory-motor matching, provides a novel framework for controller design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a systematic methodology for designing CPG-based controllers for bipedal walking robots.
• To introduce and quantify the Tegotae concept through a dedicated function.
• To validate the effectiveness of Tegotae-based decentralized controllers in a simulated bipedal walking model.

Main Methods:

• Development of a quantifiable Tegotae function to represent the sensory-motor matching concept.
• Systematic incorporation of decentralized controllers based on Tegotae functions into a bipedal walking model.
• Simulation of a two-dimensional bipedal walking model with Tegotae-based joint controllers on flat and uneven terrains.

Main Results:

• The proposed Tegotae-based controller design scheme was successfully validated through simulations.
• The bipedal walking model demonstrated the ability to walk on both flat and uneven terrains.
• Excellent adaptability to environmental changes was observed when Tegotae functions were applied to all joint controllers.

Conclusions:

• The Tegotae approach offers a systematic and effective methodology for designing CPG-based controllers for bipedal robots.
• Tegotae functions enhance the adaptability and robustness of robot locomotion in diverse environments.
• This research paves the way for more sophisticated and adaptable robotic walking systems.